Friend House offers an eco retreat on the banks of Orel River

Green tourism round the globe is on the rise with governments encouraging more and more eco friendly hotels and building. This time, it’s Ukraine that has joined the green bandwagon with its “Friend House” eco hotel. The green hotel stands majestically on three hectares (7.4 acres) of forest land and is built entirely of clay, wood, reed and stone. The Friend House eco hotel is raised near River Orel bank and is surrounded by picturesque landscape and wildlife.

It took years to finish the construction of this green building, which has received a nomination for the prestigious World Architecture News (WAN) Awards 2012 Hotel of the Year. The eco hotel is the work of Ryntovt Design, a renowned architectural firm that carefully studied the area on which the hotel stands today. The most interesting aspect about this eco friendly hotel is that it is a single story building wherein rooms are lined together under a common roof. The Hotel is situated about 30 km from the city of Dnepropertrovsk and has sufficient space for parking, garden and parks.

Talking about the interiors of the Hotel, these have also been designed by Ryntovt Design. The rooms are grossly bulbous and cocoon shaped. Blending completely with nature! Is it not? However, unlike the natural positioning of cocoons, which are often scattered in wild, the rooms have been arranged as though all the cocoons have been collected and arranged systematically under a roof.

Another fascinating aspect about the Friend House is that it is surrounded by apple tree orchards. Legend says that farmers need to invite and welcome guests during the seeding and reaping periods of apples. So the entire scenario is symbolic to the fact that welcoming guests profusely and taking care of their needs is something that the hotel can just not afford to miss! Now that is the spirit of thoughtfulness and dedication!